Improvement in portable evaporating apparatus



DOUGLAS & COOPER.

' Evaporating Pan.

Patented Sept. 6. 1859.

Witnesses;

UNITED STATES PATENT @EETQE.

HUGH T. DOUGLAS, or ZANESVILLE, AND JOHN COOPER, or MOUNT VERNON, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN PORTABLE EVAPORATING APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 25,323, date l September 6, 1859.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HUGH T. DOUGLAS, of Zanesville, in the county of Muskingum and State of Ohio, and JOHN COOPER, of Mount Vernon, in the county of Knox and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Portable Furnaces and Evaporating Pans for Evaporating the Juice of the Sorghum Sacchcwatzmt or Chinese Sugar-(lane, and for other Similar Purposes and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and complete description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to' the accompa'nying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section.

Like letters refer to like parts.

The apparatus consists of two parts-the evaporating-pan proper, A, Fig. 1, and the furnace L, Figs. 1 and 2,witl1 the several fl ueshereinafter to be described.

The. pan is made of galvanized iron about ten feet in length, two feet six inches wide, and nine inches deep, with a flaring flange of three inches in width. Any suitable material may be used instead of the galvanized iron for the structure. The size may also be varied. The dimensions above given we consider to be of medium size. The body of the pan is divided into sections, as at A B0 D, Fig. 2; or these divisions may be arranged differently as to number and size. Each of these partitions is provided with a small gate, the upper end of which is seen at c b e (Z. These severally cover an orifice at the bottom of the partition at alternate ends of the same. The uses of these will be hereinafter explained. The front or smallest of these divisions, A, is furnished with a stop-cock, 0, through which the concentrated sirup is drawn off. Immediately beneath the front section is placed a damper, J, which can be drawn out or shoved in at pleasure, for the purpose of regulating the heat under this section of the pan, and also to a certain extent in the second.

The furnace consists of the fire-box L, the main flue E F G, and the secondary flue H I, and the smoke-pipe K. The firebox is made of cast-iron, with sides, bottom, and front similar to acommon stove. The front end is furnished with a door. The front plate extends above the side plates, forming a flange, which projects a little above the bottom of the pan. The back plate of the fire-box terminates posteriorly in a horizontal flattened section of an ellipse, forming the beginning of the main flue E, which is extended along to G by means of a sheet-iron plate, which is attached to the elliptical portion of the back plate of the firebox. To the under side ofthe pan is attached a flange projecting downward about twoinches, and running the whole length, which embraces the two sides of the fire-box and the edges of the flue E F G. In this manner the pan forms not only the top of the fire-box, but also the upper portion of the flue. At M the flueE F G embraces and is attached to acast-iron fluehead, to which the feet N are attached. This extends back beyond the pan, as seen at M, for the purpose of receiving the smoke-pipe K, having a thimble projecting upward for that purpose. The diving-flueH Iis made ofstovcpipe iron, and leads off from the main flue at E and F, at each of which places is placed a throttle-valve damper for the purpose of diverting the heat from the divisions of the pan 0 or D, there being a similar valve placed at i for the purpose of closing the flue E F G. By closing the dampers F i and opening the damper E, the whole draft can be sent through the flue E H I. By closing E and Opening F, the draft is sent through the flue E F I, and by closing the dampers E F and opening the damper i, the draft is sent through the main flue E F G.

In using this pan and furnace theyare first placed in the desired position. This is easily done by first placing the fire-box in the proper place, and the flue-head M M at its proper dis tance. The flue E F Gis then attached, and the diving-flue H I put in place and secured. The pan is then placed upon the fire-box and flue, and the arrangement is completed. The juice is first put into the division D, and the gate (1 closed tightly. (In first starting the pro cess of' evaporation, it will be necessary to partly fill the other divisions with water.) As soon as the heat brings the juice to a boilingpoint, we shut off the draft by closing the damper t and opening the damper E, thus passing the draft along the diving-flue H I.

After a few minutes have elapsed, suflieient to as it rises, and arapid evaporation takes place.

allow the scum to rise to the top of the liquid, we remove the scum. lVe then combine or mix with the juice a quantity of the milk of lime, or other alkali, sufficient to neutralize any acid in the juice, rendering it as nearly neutral as possible, which condition can be determined by the use of litmus-paper, or other similar test. \rVe now bring the juice again to a rapid boil, when the dampers are again closed, and the juice again skimmed, as be fore, after allowing a little time to settle. The gate (1 is now opened, and the juice is passed into the pan 0, the water having been previously removed. The juice remaining in 1) after all-has passed into C that will pass through the gate d, (which gate should be now closed,) should be laded into C. The albumen of eggs, blood, or other clarifier, is now mixed with the juice in proper proportions. The heat is now turned on, and the scum removed as fast \Vhen the sirup is considerably reduced, it is passed into A, where the process is completed and the concentrated sirup is drawn off by the stop-cock e. In conducting this process of evaporation, as soon as the division D is emptied it is refilled with fresh juice, and the process conducted as above.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the diving-flue HI, the valves E, F, and t, and the damper J, when these several parts are arranged in relation to the evaporating-pan and operating in the manner substantially as set forth;

HUGH TI-IOS. DOUGLAS. J. COOPER.

Witnesses:

J. BRAINERD, \V. IH'. GOOHRAN. 

